A six-month-long strike against Tesla in Sweden has gained additional momentum this week as Unionen, the country’s largest private trade union, announced its support for the labor effort. Over a dozen unions have already been engaged in simultaneous actions to back IF Metall’s strikes against Tesla.
Unionen initiated a blockade against Tesla on Tuesday, targeting workers at DEKRA Industrial AB, a company responsible for inspecting vehicles. The move comes in solidarity with IF Metall’s goal to secure a collective bargaining agreement with Tesla, a stance in direct opposition to Tesla’s historical resistance to unions and organized labor efforts worldwide.
Martin Wastfeldt, Unionen’s Negotiation Head, emphasized the importance of defending Sweden’s collective agreement system, stating, “It is fundamentally important to protect our collective agreement system.”
The blockade is expected to impede DEKRA Industrial AB from conducting inspections of pressure vessels, doors, or vehicle lifts on Tesla vehicles. IF Metall initiated strikes against Tesla last autumn, which were followed by several sympathy strikes. These actions have included efforts to withhold license plates from Tesla, block the company’s shipments at ports, and prevent new Superchargers from connecting to the grid.
Despite recent developments that seemingly eased the strikes, including Tesla-certified repair shops regaining the ability to work on the company’s vehicles, the labor dispute is far from over. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, expressed optimism last month, stating, “I think the storm has passed on that front. I think things are in reasonably good shape in Sweden.” However, IF Metall’s leader, Marie Nilsson, countered Musk’s statement, affirming that the strikes would continue until a collective bargaining agreement is reached.
“The strike is ongoing, and we have no signs of reaching an agreement in the near future,” Nilsson stated. “We have had a few sittings with the Swedish management during April, but … Tesla has shown little willingness in discussing an end to the conflict.”